DMK MP Kanimozhi clarified the party's position on delimitation, emphasising concerns about reduced representation for states that have controlled population growth. She highlighted the potential impact on Southern states and others like Punjab, stating that their voices may become less significant in Parliament if delimitation is implemented based solely on population figures.
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00:00Q. A major event was conducted on Chennai on Saturday and that was about delimitation.
00:04The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. K. Stalin, brought in many leaders from various states
00:08to us and we have DMK leader and MP Kanimori.
00:12You played a crucial role in that particular meeting yesterday.
00:15Why is DMK against delimitation?
00:17A. N. Chakravarti I think Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has made
00:21it very clear that we are not against delimitation, we are against unfair delimitation.
00:29We do not want states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab which have controlled
00:38the population.
00:39We have brought down the population much less than the average national statistics.
00:46And there are some states, the states which have brought down population have brought
00:52it down to figures around 12-14%.
00:57But there are states where population has increased to nearly 27% on the growth rate.
01:04So states which have brought down population should not suffer because delimitation as
01:11of now can be done only on the basis of population.
01:16So when you do it based on population, states which have controlled population obviously
01:20will suffer.
01:21We will be punished for good work.
01:24And states which have not controlled population, we are not against them, we are not saying
01:29that they have to suffer either, but they will be gaining more seats.
01:34So our representation in parliament will be reduced and there will be an unfair way of
01:41delimitation where states which have not controlled population will be benefiting out of it.
01:47So that is what we are against.
01:50We want delimitation to be fair.
01:52Dr. Urjit R. Patel Subtly, DMK Netas for the past three weeks
01:55have been also stating that considering the 888 seats in the new parliament, there is
01:59an absolute possibility if delimitation is implemented, entire south will not have a
02:04voice.
02:05Why does DMK think that way?
02:07Dr. Urjit R. Patel Yesterday, not just DMK, I think all the
02:11leaders who have participated in the program which our chief minister had invited and leaders
02:22from all across the country to come and participate in have voiced their opinion and concern that
02:29the entire south and just not the south, states like Punjab and other states are also going
02:35to lose out.
02:37So the percentage of the southern representation in the parliament will come down to a large
02:50extent and obviously when the numbers come down, politics is a in number game, you accept
02:56it or not.
02:58So when the numbers are going to come down, why would anybody give us the importance,
03:04when there is already devolution of funds and we are being forced to accept the three-language
03:11policy, for Tamil Nadu as an example, when we have pressures like that, then our voice
03:20will become even more immaterial in a larger scenario where our representation is going
03:26to be reduced.
03:27So we are concerned about it.
03:30BJP leaders are consecutively saying that it is either a distraction tactic or it's
03:36an actual delusion fear.
03:38How do you like to respond to that?
03:39We are not cooking up delimitation out of nowhere, we are not pulling it out of thin
03:45air.
03:46When the women's bill was passed, did you, that is the BJP, did you say or not that it
03:53will be implemented after delimitation, after census, after delimitation, 33% will be implemented.
04:02So it is only going to happen after the delimitation.
04:06So you are the ones who told us that there is going to be delimitation, we are not saying
04:10there is going to be delimitation, we are not going to say, so in the floor of the house
04:15you have passed a bill saying that it will be implemented after delimitation and not
04:21only that, when the Home Minister was here, he himself has said that Tamil Nadu will not
04:27suffer, it will be done on a pro-rata basis and there are answers in parliament given
04:33by the union government which says clearly that there will be delimitation.
04:39So we are not saying anything which is baseless, unless the government is coming out with statements
04:46which are far from the truth, we are worried about what will happen.
04:51So we want to talk about it, we want to have a clear answer and we want to know the direction
04:59in which it will go and we want to safeguard before it happens.
05:03Q. How far is DMK prepared to take this fight forward?
05:07We are prepared to fight as much as it takes to win.
05:12Thank you so much, that was Karim Ali MP who has very clearly mentioned delimitation is
05:16a fight DMK is going to take forward.
05:18With the view, Pramod Madhav for this day.